Jahan Alamzad with CA Advisors , a management consulting firm in San Jose, California, has been giving some advice to Korea on economic growth. He authored a KT opinion piece in December 2008 talking about the good aspects of Korea’s economic characteristics.

[In the December 2008 article]… some thought I was excessively complimentary and that I ignored shortcomings that any society would have. One called it “an advertisement for Korea.”

Yet, for the sake of being even-handed, it behooves me to underline the impediments as well. In that piece, I left it as “challenges remain,” but elaborating a tad would make sense and relieve the fear of being biased.

Essentially, Jahan says that Korea’s problems are ones of economic inclusivness, a focus on a lot of activity rather than efficiency, lack of innovation and industrial diversification, etc.

well, looks like he covered it all. Except I’m not too sure what economic inclusiveness means. Can you clarify that?

http://www.xanga.com/wangkon936 WangKon936

What I describe as “economic inclusiveness” is what Jahan subtitles as “Not Invented Here” in the eighth paragraph.

In that paragraph Jahan talks about how Korean companies have the edge in doing business in Korea, whereas foreign companies are essentially locked out or need to partner or joint venture with other Korean companies to penetrate the market. That is a form of “economic inclusiveness.”